BBC adds Alexa voice skills for all stations and podcasts

The BBC has rolled out its first full voice app, creating Amazon Alexa skills for all of its radio stations and podcasts. The skills include controls such as play, pause, and resume. This move expands the broadcaster’s content available on devices running Amazon’s voice assistant platform. The BBC had prior support for the Amazon flash briefing option for hearing top news stories. It also launched an original interactive audio drama designed for the Amazon Alexa. The Inspection Chamber debuted for UK Alexa users in November. The organization said it planned to add more smart speakers soon.

Amazon’s progress in the smart speaker niche has been fast and furious. Its Echo devices are still the market leaders in most research. The new tech devices had been projected to be popular purchases during this holiday shopping season, and Amazon reported that the Echo Dot was its top seller over the Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend.

RAIN could not find or add the BBC skill on a U.S. Alexa, but could continue to listen to BBC radio stations via TuneIn, which includes pause and resume functions.